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Life in a small town garden. … and sometimes the things I plant even grow !

I am so fed up with rain at the moment there is just no let up. My dear friend Bush Bernie over in her lovely MyDry Tropics Garden is longing for rain if only I could package it up and send it.
However I have been busying myself in the greenhouse The first job was to give it a really good clean out so everything came out we had a dry morning last Monday so I took the opportunity by mid day I had emptied everything onto the lawn and washed down the inside with disinfectant then repaired a cracked pain of glass a mouse had been getting in through a small gap his little game is over I blocked it up!. Next job was to wash the bench down and get it back in place at which point the rain came down. Two bags of rubbish later everything was back in and looking neat and tidy.

Now the planting got under way

110 Geranium Fire Queen

110 Red Geranium Fire Queen I am going to plant them in terracotta pots and stand them against the cream wall of the house I have decided if I can’t visit the Mediterranean this summer the Mediterranean is coming to me ! Outside my kitchen window I have a small covered area which usually has a couple of hanging baskets or pots of summer bedding. This is where the geraniums are going.

I planted 3 Hostas it was a pack of 2 but had 3 what a bonus! Also 3 phlox both were described as mixed I also received in the post a pack of 50 mixed Hosta seeds should be interesting!

The Dahlias I bought the other week have also been planted.
2x Show and Tell
1x Friquolet
1x Color Spectacle
2x Lady Darlene
1x Akita
1x Bora Bora

The Delphiniums I grew from seed last year have been potted on they are looking very strong and healthy.

I also have potted on the lavender cuttings I took last year. This week I want to plant sweet pea Cuthbertson Mix, cosmos Polidor Mix, hollyhock Halo Mixed. and scabious Tall Double Mixed So all in all I have plenty to keep me busy until this rain passes then its out to the veg plot where I have so much work to do. The Shallots I planted a couple of weeks ago are looking good and the Elephant Garlic has started to shoot so I will soon be able to plant them out along with early peas and parsnips.

Last summer we replaced the back fence and this summer we are going to replace the fence along the long border as it is almost falling down. This means we will have to hold back on planting much in the border until this job is done we moved the big Acer last weekend and cut the Hydrangea Petiolaris back I will have to sacrifice this poor old plant. My neighbour is getting all the benefit from it as it had grown up over the top of the fence and she had a lovely display of white flowers I got green leaves and brown stem. Not so good! There is also a large Magnolia tree in the way it’s future is under debate at the moment… watch this space! The garden itself is looking quite sad at the moment it still has its winter overcoat on. Although signs of spring are just beginning to emerge. Spring is not far away ….I hope although much more of this rain and I may need a canoe to get to the greenhouse on the up side I have nice full water butts.
Happy Gardening!

What to do what to do….. That is the question. Following the poor summer we had (it didn’t happen) and the monumental veg cop failure I had last year, which I put down to the bad weather and lack of time to tend it. I am wondering what to do this coming year. Do I plant more vegetables or give up as a lost cause. That’s my dilemma
I have several options open to me
1. Do I keep the veg plot in the garden the same and just fertilize well cross my fingers and hope the summer is better and we have no disasters that stop me from tending it.( although the latter is out of my control)
2. Extend the veg plot into the flower beds and plant veg among the flowers (very appealing idea)
3. Dig up half the lawn and make a new veg plot. (Lots of large tree roots to be removed under the lawn but doable).
4. Put my name down for an allotment. (An idea I love but Mr. B is not so keen we’re not getting any younger).

5. Give up growing veg and grow flowers instead.

So… What’s your advice? What would you do?
Last year I used chicken manure on the veg garden. What do you use? Has anyone tried seaweed?
My garden is not huge by any means just a regular small town garden. Lawn Veg garden flower beds patio but it’s my heaven. Ah… so you want to see what it looks like well you have seen the veg garden just look up to the top of the page that’s it scroll up can you see the pigeon sitting in the middle of the beans.

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Sueb

Wife, Mother, Grandmother and Plant-a-holic! I have been married for 35 years and have 3 sons and 6 grandchildren. I live in a small market town 8 miles from Southampton in the beautiful Test Valley in the heart of Hampshire England
I have a degree in Horticulture and have worked for one of the largest horticultural companies in the south of England. I was part of the 2005 Chelsea Flower Show team. Following ill health I am now just a keen gardener. I work part time in an Art Gallery painting being my other passion.